Turkish sources deny Hamas moved office to the country

Turkish Foreign Ministry sources on Monday denied reports that the political bureau of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas moved its offices to Türkiye. Sources quoted by media outlets said members of the movement occasionally visited the country. Rumors of Hamas political bureau members setting up office followed Qatar’s recent announcement that it would suspend its role as a mediator in the Palestine-Israel conflict unless sides showed willingness to proceed with talks.

Doha, however, denied that Hamas members in the country were expelled. Türkiye is among few countries recognizing Hamas as a liberation and resistance movement, unlike supporters of Israel which view them as terrorists. Senior Hamas officials made prominent visits to the country in the past though no high-profile visit was reported in the recent months.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan famously hosted late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last year in a bid for reconciliation between Palestinian factions. Erdoğan in August also received the sons of Haniyeh following the latter’s assassination in Iran. Cease-fire talks have been stalled for months as both sides failed to find a common ground as Israel vowed to continue its attacks on Palestinian territories to fully eradicate Hamas.

Türkiye, for its part, advocates a lasting solution to the conflict that will grant Palestinians a sovereign, independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, a state based on the borders Palestinians had before the 1967 war..